7 leaders of Baha'i Faith in Iran accused of spying

TEHRAN, Iran 
Seven leaders of the Baha'i Faith who have been detained for more than eight months in Iran have been officially accused of espionage, a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary said yesterday.

“Next week, an indictment will be issued and will be discussed in court,” judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi told Iran's state news agency IRNA. The seven leaders were arrested in May, prompting international criticism of Iran for its treatment of Baha'i followers.

Friday, in response to initial reports that the seven leaders would be charged with spying, U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood issued a statement condemning the leveling of “baseless charges” against the Baha'i leaders. “The accusations reported in Iranian and international media are part of the ongoing persecution of Baha'i in Iran,” Wood said.

Baha'i officials also said the Iranian detainees were innocent of the charges.

The Baha'i community in San Diego County, which includes refugees from Iran among its estimated 1,500 members, has been following the case closely.

Patty Yant, secretary of the spiritual assembly in Oceanside, said people have been writing letters to Congress and gathering to offer prayers for the imprisoned, “anything we can do to help bring the situation to the forefront.”

Followers of the Baha'i Faith, an offshoot of Islam that originated in 19th-century Persia, say the Baha'i founder is the final prophet, a distinction that Muslim scholars say should be reserved for the Prophet Muhammad. Iranian officials do not recognize the Baha'i Faith as a religion, referring to it as an “organization.”

Bahais claim 300,000 followers in Iran, but there are no independent statistics on how many there are.